Whale shark ecotourism – epilogue

Relevant to my recent post about whale shark ecotourism, this news article came across my news feed today.  It seems the Director of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources in the Philippines region called Visayas, which includes Cebu province, has ordered the cessation of the practice of feeding whale sharks in Oslob, which was one of the examples of unsustainable practices that I cited.  The Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources is also amending its regulation to prohibit feeding of whale sharks throughout the Philippines, which would effectively prevent any other such ecotourism practices occurring anywhere in the country.   These are two steps in the right direction and the Philippine government should be applauded for making them.  I look forward to seeing them implemented.